Giay folk singing - binding the community

The Giay have several folk singing genres and performance forms: drinking songs, love songs, and songs of farewell. The lyrics are about nature, love, life in the mountains, the lives of rich and poor people, and the upper and lower class.

They sing at events such as weddings, funerals, ceremonies, festivals, and the duet sessions of young people.

San Chang, a collector of Giay folk songs in Ta Van Giay commune, Lao Cai province, talks about wedding songs: “At the bride’s meal with her friends, guests sing songs as remembrances of the bride who is going to leave them.

When seeing off the bride, her mother, uncle, aunt, or sister sings advice to her about how to serve her parents-in-law, good and bad manners, and doing farm work."

"The bride sings to thank her parents for bringing her up. When the groom’s delegation arrives at the bride’s house, both sides sing call-and-response before the bride’s family allows the groom to come in,” he said.

Singing at weddings has been practiced for generations. The lyrics have evolved to match social charges and be useful to young brides.

Chang said, “During Tet friends visit each other. While eating and drinking, they sing to wish each other a happy New Year. Older people, such as the patriarch, sing first and then the host of the house and his guests.

They make wishes for the patriarch, the family members, and guests, and sing about good wine, food, and friendship.”

A singing session is a major part of every festival and has an important position in Giay culture. Old songs have a strong influence on the mind, feelings, and relations of the Giay people.

Call-and-response singing between young boys and girls is an everyday form. They sing to open a conversation, express hospitality, and get to know each other.

“If guests stay with our family for 2 or 3 days, the host has to sing with them every night. If not, when the guests leave, they may sing to criticize the host as inhospitable. Customarily, guests sing to ask the host to open the door. The host sings to invite the guests to come in," Chang noted.

"They sing reciprocally about their health and families. They drink together and sing about the night, the moon, the stars, nature, and the sunrise. When it’s full daylight, the host sings to leave for farm work,” he added.

Everyday singing is a way to express sadness and happiness. Ma Thi Hien, a Giay in Sapa, says: “We sing when we meet people on the way to the market in the morning. We ask their names, where they live, and in what village. In the afternoon we sing to see each other off.”

The lyrics are not flowery but as plain as the Giay people themselves. It’s a way to tighten the community bond.